


I want to be the one to walk in the sun (oh girls they want to have fun)

by AceofWands



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Female Friendship, Gen, Shore Leave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-15
Updated: 2015-07-15
Packaged: 2018-04-09 11:52:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4347590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceofWands/pseuds/AceofWands
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jadzia, K'Ehleyr and Deanna all desperately need a holiday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I want to be the one to walk in the sun (oh girls they want to have fun)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [juniperpines](https://archiveofourown.org/users/juniperpines/gifts).



> Set in an AU where K'Ehleyr lived.
> 
> Sort of a remix of 'Let He Who Is Without Sin...'
> 
> Title from Cyndi Lauper's 'Girls Just Want To Have Fun'
> 
> Opening scene inspired by [ this artwork](http://aceofwands.tumblr.com/post/123458742098/i-commissioned-the-wonderful-taylorsblue-to-draw).

“Quark! Two Supernovas – and don’t skimp on the chech’tluth!”

Jadzia Dax smiled as the familiar voice cut through the ambient noise of the bar, as direct as a phaser beam aimed at Quark’s head.

The Ferengi bartender raised both hands in a gesture of surrender. “I wouldn’t dare,” he simpered, already reaching for a pair of wide glasses and a tiny bottle of glowing, amber liquid.

Jadzia raised her eyebrows as K’Ehleyr dropped herself onto the barstool next to her with a groan. “That bad?”

“Worse,” K’Ehleyr sighed, pressing her fingers into the bridge of her nose.

While technically no longer the Federation Ambassador to the Klingon Empire, ever since she and Jadzia had helped Captain Sisko expose Martok as a changeling imposter K’Ehleyr had been the one tasked with attempting to repair Federation-Klingon relations.

“You’d think that being suspected of being a changeling would have been enough to convince Gowron of how important it is to reinstate the Khitomer Accords, but he’s as much of a stubborn fool as he ever was,” K’Ehleyr complained, glaring down at the bar as if she could see his face staring back at her.

“It’s only a matter of time,” Jadzia tried to reassure her, but they’d had this conversation many times already, so it rang rather hollow.

K’Ehleyr deflated with a sigh. “I know. I’m sorry, I just feel like I’m flying in circles. And if it isn’t the Klingons out there, then it’s the ones here.”

Jadzia winced, “Butting heads again?”

“I swear it’s all they seem to be able to do. It’s a miracle they haven’t actually killed each other, given how little time I’ve been able to spend here these past months.”

Jadzia patted her friend’s shoulder in sympathy, “I’m sure they’ll work it out. Trust me, most fathers and sons go through a phase like this.”

K’Ehleyr nodded, the motion causing the metallic beads in her hair to chime against each other. “That’s what Deanna said, the last time I talked to her about it. She thinks they’ll get there, in time, but meanwhile I have to play mediator. As usual.”

She sighed heavily, inhaling the tendril of smoke that twisted between them – escaped from the corrugated, metallic bottle Quark was pouring the final layer of their drinks from.

“Here you are ladies. Two Supernovas, for my two favourite customers.” He placed the drinks on the bar in front of them, accompanied by his most charming grin.

The glasses were filled with pure black liquid, with a layer of smoke swirling on top. But as they watched the liquid began to glow from within, until suddenly golden liquid burst out, like an explosion trapped within the glass.

“Masterfully created, as always,” Jadzia complimented Quark, who winked at her before his attention was drawn away by Morn at the other end of the bar.

K’Ehleyr was already taking a long sip of her drink, whorls of smoke dancing around her face.

“Just what the doctor ordered?” Jadzia teased, picking up her own glass and taking a sip. The rich sweetness was cut through by the tanginess of the chech’tluth and the hint of smoke. It was one of the better Supernovas Dax had tasted.

K’Ehleyr smiled, “Most definitely. Quark might be an annoying little troll at the best of times, but he definitely has his uses.”

The two of them enjoyed their drinks in silence. It had been getting harder and harder to find the time to sit down together for a drink and a chat at the end of the day, let alone do anything else recreational. Dax could see how stressed K’Ehleyr was – even now her posture was rigid with months of pent up tension. Although Jadzia was always happy to be a sympathetic ear, she wished there was more she could do.

And then it came to her. 

“I’ve got it,” she announced, pointing at K’Ehleyr with the hand still clutched around her glass. Her friend looked up from her drink, eyebrow raised. “I know exactly what we need.”

K’Ehleyr swallowed her mouthful and blew out a puff of smoke. “Another drink?” she suggested wryly. 

“Even better. You and I are going to Risa.”

K’Ehleyr straightened up in her chair, intrigued. “Risa? As in the pleasure planet? As in one of the Federation’s most popular holiday destinations?”

“That’s the one,” Jadzia confirmed, grinning with excitement.

A slow, delighted grin curved across K’Ehleyr’s face as the idea fully blossomed in her mind. “Dax, my friend, you really are a genius.”

~

Deanna Troi collapsed back onto her bed, still wearing her uniform, and groaned.

She lay there for a full minute, feeling every single muscle in her body scream in protest, then proceeded to haul her legs up so that she could pull off her boots. She let out a sigh as her throbbing feet were finally freed. Their ache was only matched by the pounding behind her temples.

Her mental shields were fraying at the edges, buffeted by the emotions of hundreds of people who were still adjusting to the destruction of their home and life aboard a new ship. Almost a year into the shakedown cruise of the Enterprise-E – a year of helping the crew adjust and heal, of breaking in a new ship, of welcoming new crewmembers while adjusting to the loss of others – and Deanna had to conclude that if she didn’t stop and take a break soon, she was going to burn herself out.

Simply put, she was exhausted.

So when her console chimed with an incoming transmission all she could do was sigh aloud. It took all her strength to push herself up off the bed and stagger over to the chair in front of the monitor.

“Computer, open channel,” she said, steeling herself for what was sure to be another situation requiring her immediate attention – after all, what else would it be about when she was already at her wit’s end?

When K’Ehleyr’s face appeared on the monitor, Deanna prepared herself for a warning that war had broken out with the Dominion, or that the Klingon situation had deteriorated further.

“Wow, you look absolutely terrible,” K’Ehleyr said by way of greeting, her customary wry smile in place – but she wasn’t looking so great herself.

Deanna sighed, leaning heavily on the desk. “If this is your way of softening the blow of whatever terrible news you’re about to share, you’ve gone about it the wrong way.”

K’Ehleyr barked out a laugh. “Oh dear, it seems I called at just the right time, if you of all people are assuming the worst.”

“So you’re not calling to share news of some imminent disaster?”

K’Ehleyr leaned in closer, her smile growing wider. “On the contrary, the Federation is going to have to cope with its disasters on its own for the next week – unless there’s something so pressing that the Enterprise couldn’t possibly spare you?”

For the first time in weeks Deanna perked up, all traces of fatigue fading away in the light of the hope beginning to bloom inside her.

“Tell me you’re not joking,” she insisted.

“I’m not joking. You, me, Jadzia, and sunny sunny Risa for an entire, glorious, stress-free week.”

Deanna’s groan this time was a happy one, as if she’d just had the first spoonful of a triple chocolate sundae.

“I take it I’ve convinced you to join us then?” K’Ehleyr asked, chuckling.

“A Borg invasion couldn’t stop me,” Deanna said solemnly. She was already mentally going through her wardrobe, trying to remember whether her turquoise or her indigo swimsuit suited her better.

~

“Now I’ve made a lot of good decisions in my lifetimes, but I’ve got to say, coming to Risa is consistently one of my best.”

Jadzia took in a deep lungful of the sweet, salty Risan air. She closed her eyes and let the warmth of the twin suns caress her face, ignoring the hubbub of the spacedock around her to enjoy these first moments of her holiday.

“It certainly is a beautiful day,” Julian agreed, interrupting her calm as he disembarked from the runabout behind her.

“It’s Risa. It’s always a beautiful day,” Leeta pointed out, emerging beside him.

“That is it,” Quark agreed, following them out. “And I intend to enjoy it to the full.” His smirk was even more lascivious than usual. He dug around in his bag for a moment, pulling out his horga’hn and tucking it into the crook of his arm. He’d already gifted the rest of them their own idols. Jadzia fully intended to make the most of hers.

“Well I’d certainly hope so,” K’Ehleyr teased, the runabout door hissing closed behind her. “With the bar closed while you’re away you’d certainly want to make the most of your holiday – how else can you justify the loss of profit?”

Jadzia bit back a laugh at the obvious provocation. “Ah, but you’re forgetting rule of acquisition twenty-five: ‘Every once in a while, take time to enjoy your profit’,” she explained, winking at Quark.

“‘But not too much time!’” Quark added the rest of the rule with a stern look – but it quickly dissolved into smugness. “And you’re absolutely right of course Lieutenant, as rule fourteen states: ‘All work and no play...’”

“Makes Jack a dull boy?” Julian interrupted, grinning.

Quark let out a huff. “I’ll see you all at the end of the week,” he announced, scowling at them – except for Jadzia, who he winked at as he headed off towards the lines of people waiting for the aircars that would fly them to the different resorts across the planet.

“Yes, we’d best be off too. Have a good time ladies,” Julian said, as he and Leeta followed Quark at a more sedate pace.

“I’ll join you for drinks one night,” Leeta called out, waving at them.

“Have fun!” Jadzia waved them off, grinning. Then she adjusted the shoulder strap of her bag so it sat more comfortably. “Ready to go?”

“Absolutely,” K’Ehleyr replied, walking by her side towards the queue waiting to board the aircar heading for the Temtibi Lagoon. 

~

Jadzia looked out over the lagoon as the aircar began its descent. The twin suns bathed the scenery in a brilliant light, highlighting the crests of the turquoise waves as they washed against the white sand. She could see people, stretched out across the beach and swimming in the lagoon, and was already anticipating joining them as soon as they disembarked.

She and K’Ehleyr rose from their padded seats and joined the slow shuffle of passengers as they made their way out of the air conditioned confines of the aircar and into the sunlit warmth of the lobby of the Tembiti Lagoon resort.

“This really was such a good idea,” K’Ehleyr enthused, sighing in contentment as they took in the elegantly decorated lobby. Curtains of delicate pink flowers cascaded from the ceiling, ringing the opening that allowed aircars to enter from above. The building itself was made of pale stone with veins of metal that reflected snatches of light.

Jadzia and K’Ehleyr followed the rest of the passengers further into the lobby, where they were greeted by their hosts. A tanned and toned Risan woman strode over to meet them, a wide smile on her face.

“Arandis!” Jadzia greeted, holding out her hands, “It’s so good to see you.”

Arandis squeezed Jadzia’s cold hands tightly. “And you Dax. I was so thrilled to see your name on the guest list, it’s been too long.”

“Ah, so _this_ is why you wanted to come to the Lagoon,” K’Ehleyr teased, smirking at Dax.

“You must be K’Ehleyr,” Arandis greeted her, “As Dax said, I am Arandis, Chief Facilitator of the Temtibi Lagoon Resort.”

“Oh, you were promoted? Congratulations!” Jadzia exclaimed. “Arandis was a friend of Curzon’s,” she explained, telling the story of Dax's last visit here as she and K’Ehleyr followed Arandis out of the lobby and along a corridor that traversed the length of the east wing of the resort.

“Here we are,” Arandis said, opening the door to their suite and following them inside.

Jadzia and K’Ehleyr eased their bags off their shoulders and dropped them onto a table near the door. The room was filled with sunlight and a glorious breeze that caught at the edges of the gauzy curtains that framed the open doors at the other end of the room. Their suite opened onto a secluded balcony that led down to the beach.

“Please, make yourselves comfortable. All that is ours is yours,” Arandis said, already making her way to the door. She paused in the threshold and looked back at Jadzia. “I’d very much like to catch up with you Dax, once you’ve settled in. Your new host is very attractive.”

Dax flushed down to her spots, unable to help her delighted grin. “I’d like that.”

Arandis returned the grin before closing the door behind her.

“You are going to have such a good time on this trip,” K’Ehleyr said, draping an arm across Jadzia’s shoulders.

“Is that envy I hear?” Jadzia teased.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love Worf dearly, but sometimes he can be so … old fashioned in his views about relationships,” K’Ehleyr confessed. Then she squeezed Jadzia’s shoulder, “No matter, we’re both still going to have a fantastic time.”

“Of course we are,” Jadzia agreed, “And I promise to tell you all about it, so you can live vicariously through me.”

K’Ehleyr chuckled, “You know me so well.”

The pair of them made their way out onto the balcony, taking in the spectacular view of the lagoon. The sound of the waves lapping against the shore was already relaxing Jadzia on a subconscious level.

“Come on, let’s go and find a deck chair and something to drink,” Jadzia said, heading straight for the stairs.

“Already one step ahead of you,” K’Ehleyr said, pointing across the beach to the deck chair where Deanna Troi was stretched out. She had two empty chairs beside her and a little table with a tall glass containing what looked like half a Samarian Sunset.

She stirred as Jadzia and K’Ehleyr approached, propping herself up on an elbow and looking at them over the top of her sunglasses.

“Fancy seeing you here,” she called out. Her skin looked positively radiant in the sun, and an aura of serenity surrounded her.

As they crossed the last few metres, Deanna rose, stepping forward to hug K’Ehleyr. “It’s so nice to see you in person for a change,” she greeted.

“Talking to you over subspace is never quite the same,” K’Ehleyr agreed. “And what better place to catch up?” she added, gesturing to the broad expanse of beach.

With an entire planet of resorts and luxurious beaches to choose from, Risa was rarely crowded. There were always just enough people around to create a vibrant social life, if you wanted to partake in it, while also allowing space for solitude.

“Isn’t it wonderful? I can’t remember the last time I really allowed myself to take in a place like this – to just be, without having somewhere to go, or someone to help.” Deanna looked out over the crystal waters of the lagoon. “It must have been before Veridian Three.”

Dax allowed the moment to stretch before she spoke up. “Well, then I’m glad K’Ehleyr invited you to join us, it sounds like you needed this break as much as we did.”

Deanna turned back to face her, apologetic, “I’m sorry, I’ve been terribly rude. You must be Jadzia, it’s so lovely to finally meet you. I’ve heard quite a lot about you.”

“All of it’s true,” Jadzia joked.

Deanna graced her with a mischievous grin and a wink. “But I’m sure your stories are much better in person. Come and sit down.”

She lay back on her deck chair and K’Ehleyr and Jadzia followed suit, each letting out a sigh of contentment as they allowed themselves to relax into the sun-warmed cushions. Almost as if by magic a Risan waitress arrived a moment later, padd in hand.

“Would you like any drinks? Or food?”

Jadzia consulted her tastebuds, then looked over at Deanna. “I heard you have a fondness for chocolate …”

Deanna peeked over her sunglasses again, delighted. “Oh, I think you and I are going to be good friends.”

~

That evening, the three of them sat clustered around a table on the deck of the resort’s dining room. The remains of their meal were being cleared by waiters, replaced by a decadent dessert platter and a fresh bottle of sweet wine. A pleasantly warm breeze carried with it the heady scent of night-blooming flowers, adding to the mellow atmosphere.

Deanna was finally beginning to feel like the last of her tension was melting away – the afternoon in the spa and luxurious full-body massage had certainly helped. She was delighted to be able to spend time with K’Ehleyr again, after a busy year apart, and was enchanted by the effervescent Jadzia Dax. The Joined Trill was a charming conversationalist, and she seemed to have an endless supply of amusing stories, accumulated over her centuries of life.

Yet it was more than that, Deanna also found herself enjoying Jadzia’s company on an empathic level. She had thought that the mind of a Joined Trill would be even more chaotic than those of Humans or other non-telepathic races – with so many lifetimes of memories and experiences layered together. But there was a serenity and a structure to her mind that Deanna found both calming and invigorating. She was quite looking forward to spending the week in the company of these two delightful women.

“And so then I said to him, doubt my honour again and I’ll – oh, thank you,” K’Ehleyr paused her story to thank the waiter, and Deanna realised she’d tuned out of the conversation, caught up in reflection.

But focusing herself on the present made Deanna pause as she realised there was something niggling at the back of her mind, accidentally ignored due to her internal musing.

Approaching from the beach was a group of people whose minds were chaos – compared to the serenity of the rest of the resort’s occupants, their minds were lit up like beacons.

“Deanna?” Jadzia queried, noticing the deep frown that had settled on Deanna’s brow.

“Something’s wrong,” Deanna explained, “There’s a group of people coming … all I’m sensing from them is anger and frustration. They mean to hurt us – or scare us, it’s difficult to say …”

Jadzia and K’Ehleyr exchanged concerned looks. “What? Who are they? Klingons?” Jadzia asked.

Deanna shook her head, “I don’t think so.”

“How long until they get here?” K’Ehleyr asked.

“They’re almost here, a few minutes at most. I wasn’t paying attention earlier,” Deanna explained, apologetic.

Jadzia was already striding over to speak to the waiters in hushed tones – they looked startled, but began quietly ushering the few remaining guests back to their rooms. K’Ehleyr rose as well, and Deanna followed suit.

“Which way?” K’Ehleyr asked, muscles already tensing in anticipation.

Deanna gestured down the beach, and was startled to realise she could already make out the silhouettes in the distance. They would have been obscured by the shadows, except that she knew where to look.

K’Ehleyr squeezed her shoulder, then casually picked up her glass of wine and strolled over to the edge of the deck – where the group was approaching from – and leaned against the railing, her back to the beach. If Deanna hadn’t been an expert in reading body language she might have believed her friend’s relaxed posture was genuine.

She took a moment to centre herself, drawing on her years of experience in combat and life-or-death situations. Then she leaned over the table to select a small cube of chocolate from the dessert tray. Maintaining the illusion of relaxation was the key.

Jadzia strolled back over to the table, her smile was tight around the corners but Deanna could sense that she was as used to combat as she and K’Ehleyr were – perhaps even more so.

“Oooh, what’s in the centre of that one?” Jadzia asked, already moving to pick up another chocolate with the same dusting of orange powder on top as Deanna’s.

“You know, I’m not sure. Golana melon maybe?” Deanna replied.

Jadzia popped the chocolate in her mouth and savoured it. Deanna could sense her enjoyment, a pale burst of pleasure surrounded by tension as thick as fog around them.

The group was almost upon them, their frustration was becoming more focused as their moment of action neared. One of them in particular – presumably the leader – had a mind as focused as a knife point. He held his contempt and hatred locked beneath the surface, controlled by the tempered steel of his resolve.

“Kind of reminds me of Earth grapefruit,” Jadzia remarked, reaching for her glass of wine to wash it down, her knuckles were white around the stem.

Deanna tamped down on the urge to flinch when the group rushed up the stairs and onto the deck, boots pounding a thunderous staccato against the wood.

“Alright, nobody move!” the leader called out.

The group was made up mostly of Humans, all of whom were wearing stiff, drab coloured jumpsuits that covered them up entirely. There were almost a dozen in total, half of them were holding phaser and disruptor rifles of various configurations – all trained upon the scattered waiters who remained and K’Ehleyr, Jadzia and Deanna.

Deanna felt their confusion at the lack of people. They must have planned on the element of surprise, and their quick thinking had disrupted that. Good, she could use that to her advantage.

Straightening herself up to her full height, Deanna faced their leader head on.

“Who are you? What is the meaning of this?” she demanded.

The man was momentarily taken aback, but his righteous indignation soon returned. “I am Pascal Fullerton of the New Essentialists movement,” he began, and that was all it took for Deanna to know exactly what sort of person he was. Close-minded, completely convinced of his own moral superiority – Deanna had dealt with dozens, maybe hundreds, of people just like him.

From their wardrobe choice, the frustration in their minds, and their pretentious name, she guessed this group was one of those that demanded a ‘return to traditional values’. These sorts of people had been a bane on progress throughout the history of numerous Federation worlds. And, in this case, they were a bane on innocent people simply trying to have a good time.

“And this is exactly-” Fullerton went on, clearly gearing up for a no doubt well practised speech.

Deanna prepared herself to interrupt, already planning how to best derail him and get them out of this without anyone getting hurt, when she realised that although the people wielding weapons were frustrated, they were actually trying to deceive them.

Not wasting a moment to listen to Fullerton, Deanna sprung into action, charging the nearest Essentialist and sweeping his weapon out of his hand before he even realised what had happened.

“Deanna!” K’Ehleyr called out in shock, as the other five trained their rifles on her.

But no shots were fired.

Deanna swung the rifle around. “As I thought, no power pack,” she announced – which was all Jadzia and K’Ehleyr needed to hear to set about disarming the others. They were a blur of motion – although these Essentialists cleared wanted to appear tough, when faced with women with actual combat training and experience they stood absolutely no chance.

“What- but-” Fullerton spluttered.

“Now Mister Fullerton, we’ve nipped your little ‘demonstration’ in the bud – so I suggest you and your associates would be best to leave,” Deanna proclaimed, channelling her inner daughter of the Fifth House.

“No, this wasn’t- I didn’t-”

Deanna took measured strides towards him, flanked by K’Ehleyr and Jadzia on either side. “Get to give us all a lecture on how indulgent and defenceless we are?” She exchanged a glance with Jadzia, confiding, “At least, I assume that’s what it would have been about.”

She gestured to her companions, each wielding a powered down rifle. “But as you can see, we’ve demonstrated that Risa is far from defenceless. And quite frankly, a little indulgence is a good thing, every now and again – it helps when you’re feeling … frustrated.”

She had to hold back her smile as his face went red, and her mental shields rose to protect her from the concussive force of his rage.

He opened his mouth, no doubt to direct some of that rage outwards, but she simply increased the volume of her voice and went on. “You see Mister Fullerton, my friends and I are normally very busy Starfleet officers – and Ambassadors for the Federation – but even we have our limits. Which is why planets like Risa exist, to allow us the precious downtime we need, when those limits are reached.”

With each sentence, Deanna stepped forward, her pace careful and controlled. The New Essentialists had shifted so they now stood behind Fullerton, and while she knew her words were falling on deaf ears for some, she could sense in others just the tiniest seed of doubt.

“So if you and your people don’t mind, we’d like to enjoy the rest of our holiday, before we go back to our very busy and stressful and _important_ lives – serving the Federation. And if we see any of you causing any more … disruptions, well, my friend Ambassador K’Ehleyr here gets very … angry, when her precious relaxation time is interrupted.”

Deanna didn’t look away from Fullerton to see the look on K’Ehleyr’s face, but she was very much enjoying the Essentialists’ reactions to it.

With one final step, Deanna stood right in front of Fullerton. She held his gaze, allowing his anger to buffet her mind like the warm evening breeze and then flow right past her.

With a look of pure rage, Fullerton stormed away. The rest of his people appeared torn with indecision for a moment, then they trailed limply behind him.

Deanna waited until all she could see was their footsteps in the sand, then she let all her breath out in a single whoosh.

“Who was that pompous idiot?” K’Ehleyr asked, a concerned frown still marring her brow.

Arandis came rushing out of the dining room onto the deck. “What happened? Is anyone hurt?”

Jadzia intercepted her, laying her hands on Arandis’s shoulders and giving them a reassuring squeeze. “We’re all fine. There was a group of people who wanted to scare your guests by faking an attack. Lucky for us Deanna here could tell they were just bluffing … they called themselves the New Essentialists?”

“Oh, them,” Arandis scoffed, deflating. “They’ve been holding their ‘rallies’ for a month now, calling for a ‘return to traditional Federation values’-” Deanna felt a spike of amusement from K’Ehleyr even before she looked over to see her smirking at her. “- but this is the first time they’ve tried to scare people.”

“Well, hopefully this was the first and last time – Deanna told them off good and proper,” K’Ehleyr said with a chuckle. She looked down at the powerless disruptor rifle still in her hands, then back up at Deanna, “Though when you went for that first one, I almost had a heart attack.”

“I’m sorry, I acted as soon as I realised, but I can see how it would have looked,” Deanna apologised.

“The important thing is you’re all okay,” Arandis said. “Now please, don’t let those … people disrupt any more of your time here.”

“Oh we won’t,” Jadzia assured her, “In fact, why don’t you help us make the most of it? Come and join us, we were about to have dessert, before we were so rudely interrupted.”

“I wouldn’t want to intrude,” Arandis said, glancing between Deanna and K’Ehleyr.

“Not at all,” Deanna assured her, making her way over to their table. K’Ehleyr was already there, pouring them all new glasses of wine.

“To a pompous idiot free week,” K’Ehleyr announced, holding up her glass to toast.

“I’ll drink to that,” Jadzia said, laughing, as she and Arandis each picked up their glasses and clinked them against each other.

“Here here,” Deanna chimed in, before sipping the refreshing, sweet wine. “You know … I almost feel sorry for those New Essentialists. Can you imagine how dull it must be, being on Risa and not allowing yourself to enjoy it properly?”

All four women took a moment to imagine it, then shuddered at the thought.

“So, who wants to join me for another massage in the morning?” Jadzia asked brightly.

“I definitely need one, all my tension has come back,” K’Ehleyr replied, stretching her neck and wincing.

“Count me in – and then we can go for a swim afterwards,” Deanna suggested, starting to reach for a chocolate mousse on the dessert tray.

Arandis pushed the tray closer so Deanna could grab it more easily. “Have you been out on a floater yet? It’s the best way to reach the cove – you remember the one Dax.”

Jadzia grinned and launched into another story about Curzon, and soon all thought of the New Essentialists had slipped from their minds. Nothing was going to stop them from enjoying their holiday.

 

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] I want to be the one to walk in the sun (oh girls they want to have fun)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6436216) by [kalakirya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kalakirya/pseuds/kalakirya)




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